Parachute release and firing pin arrangement for smoke marker or the like



May 23, 1967 J. E. FOSTER ETAL 3,320,885 PARACHUTE RELEASE AND FIRINGPIN ARHANGEMENT FOR SMOKE MARKER OR THE I .TKH

Filed Sept. l5, 1965 IN V EN TURA'4 flo/vn l. Fosfer United StatesPatent O 3,320,885 PARACHUTE RELEASE AND FIRING PIN AR- RANGEMENT FORSMOKE MARKER R THE LIKE John E. Foster, Timonium, Mitchell G. Angelos,ockeysville, and Henry M. Stromberg, Jr., Ellicott City, Md., assignors,by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented bythe Secretary of the Army Filed Sept. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 487,644 4Claims. (Cl. 102-35.6)

This invention relates to a parachute release and tiring pin arrangementfor smoke marker or the like and more particularly to a container thathouses a parachute and tiring pin and their respective releasemechanisms and designed to operate with a smoke marker.

Smoke markers are dropped from aircraft over water and are equipped withself contained parachutes and tiring devices and are used to signal thelocation of space capsules, vessels in distress, etc. One such deviceconstitutes the subject matter of our copending application, Ser. No.465,811, filed June 2l, 1965.

Briefly, the present invention consists of a combined container for aparachute a-dapted to be attached to a smoke marker canister. Thecontainer is provided with a spring biased firing pin and a handlewhich, when released, permits the container to fall apart to allow the-parachute to become air-borne. At the same time the firing pin isreleased to fire a charge to initiate the burning of the smoke markercharge.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a combined parachuterelease and tiring pin for a smoke marker.

Another object is to `provide a container for a parachute that willcollapse when a handle is released to permit the parachute to becomeair-borne.

A further object is the provision of a firing pin release mechanismoperated by the release of the handle and collapse of the parachutecontainer.

A still further object is to provide a combined parachute release andtiring pin arrangement that is positive in its action.

These and other objects and advantages of tbe present invention will befully apparent from the following description when taken in connectionwith the annexed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top `plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary bottom view of the device;

FIG. 4 is an axial section view taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along line 5 5 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail wherein like reference charactersdenote like parts, reference character 1 designates generally theparachute release and firing pin, and consists of a cylindricalcontainer, indicated generally by 2. Container 2 is provided with a wall3 which is split as at 4, a bottom 5 and a cover 6.

Cylindrical container 2 contains a parachute 7 having attaching cables 8which pass through holes 9 in bottom 5 and are to be attached to a loadbeing parachuted from an aircraft, not shown.

The parachute release and tiring pin mechanisms are compactly arrangedand are disposed centrally in the container 2 and consist of a tubularhousing 10 which extends above and below container 2. That portion whichextends below container 2 has a ange 11 and a threaded portion 12 forattachment to a smoke marker, not shown.

That portion of housing extending above container 2 has a slot 13 toreceive a tab 14 of a handle 15 the function of which is to be laterdescribed.

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Housing 10 is provided with a central bore 16 and a series of radialbores 17. The outer surface of housing 10 is cut to form a reducedportion 18 which forms a shoulder 19.

A tubular fuze slide 20 having an enlarged head 21 is slidable onhousing 10.

An ejection spring 22 encircles housing l0 and slide 20 and biasesbetween flange 11 and cover 6.

A thin walled spring guard tube 23 encircles ejection spring 22 forproviding a smooth surface to prevent possible damage of parachute 7thereby.

A firing pin 24 is slidably mounted in bore 16 and is biased downwardlyby a spring 25.

Housing 10 contains the necessary detonator element (not shown) forinitiating the burning of the smoke marker, also not shown.

Firing pin 24 is normally held in a retracted position by a series ofsteel balls 26 which are nested in the radial bores 17 and ride in anannular groove 31 in pin 24.

Handle l5 prevents fuze slide 20 from riding up on housing 10 and issecured on enlarged head 21 by a thumb screw 27.

A safety is provided and consists of a pull pin 28 piercing enlargedhead 21 and resting in an annular groove 29 in the upper portion ofhousing 10. The pin 28 has a pull ring 30 connected to its end.

In use, the device is attached to a smoke marker by threaded portion 12and cables 8 are attached to the smoke marker for connection to theparachute 7 which is packed in container 2 and the firing pin 24 isretracted.

The thumb screw 27 is removed and the operator holds the container withthe handle 15 held much in the manner of a hand grenade and pulls pin 28out by pull ring 30.

The device is then dropped and handle 15 will drop olf. Ejection spring22 will push against cover 6 which will carry with it fuze slide 20 asindicated in broken lines in FIG. 4. The wall 3 being split at 4 willopen and fall away, also the handle 15 and fuze slide 20. Parachute 7will become airborne as soon as cables 8 become taut and the parachute 7is in the air stream.

As soon as fuze slide 20 leaves housing 10, steel balls 26 will be freedfrom annular groove 31 and ring pin 24 will move down due to spring 25and fire a detonator (not shown) in housing 10 below the ring pin 24 andinitiate burning of the smoke charge in the smoke marker.

Cables 8 may be the shroud lines of the parachute 7 or connected theretoas is expedient.

It will be apparent that the parachute 7 will become quickly opened bythe collapse of the container and the initiation of the burning of thesmoke marker will also be quickly and positively effected.

While only a preferred form of the invention has been shown anddescribed, other forms of the invention are contemplated and numerouschanges and modications may be made therein without departing from thespirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A parachute release and tiring pin arrangement for attachment to asmoke marker comprising in combination, a collapsible container, aparachute in said container, a spring loaded telescoping means disposedcentrally in said container, a releasable handle normally holding saidtelescoping means in closed position and a spring biased ring pinslidably mounted in said telescoping means and being held in a cockedposition when said telescoping means is closed, said container tocollapse when said handle is released and said telescopic means areseparated to free said `parachute to open and said tiring pin is freedto initiate tiring of said smoke marker.

2. A parachute release and tiring pin arrangement for attachment to asmoke marker comprising in combination, a collapsible container adaptedto house a parachute therein, a tubular housing centrally mounted insaid container, a spring biased firing pin slidable in said tubularhousing, a spring biased, tubular fuze slide slidably mounted on saidtubular housing, means in said tubular housing for locking said firingpin in a cocked position within said housing, and a releasable handleadapted to retain said tubular fuze slide on said tubular housing andwhen released to permit said fuze slide to move off said tubular housingwhereby said ring pin will initiate firing of the smoke marker saidcontainer will collapse to permit said parachute to become air-bome.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said collapsible containercomprises a circular bottom, a circular cover and a split wall normallyretained by said bottom and cover.

4. A device as Set forth in claim 2 wherein said means in said tubularhousing for locking said firing pin in a cocked position comprises aseries of radial bores in said tubular housing, there being an annulargroove in said firing pin, and a steel ball in each said bore and ridingin said annular groove, said balls to be freed when said tubular fuzeslide moves off of said tubular housing to permit said firing pin toinitiate ring of a smoke marker.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,330,425 2/1920Bergman 102-35 X `1,339,735 5/1920 Bergman 102-35 X 1,891,172 12/1932Paulus 102-35 2,340,329 2/1944 King 102-65 3,052,186 9/ 1962 Thwaites etal. 102-65 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

1. A PARACHUTE RELEASE AND FIRING PIN ARRANGEMENT FOR ATTACHMENT TO ASMOKE MARKER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER, APARACHUTE IN SAID CONTAINER, A SPRING LOADED TELESCOPING MEANS DISPOSEDCENTRALLY IN SAID CONTAINER, A RELEASABLE HANDLE NORMALLY HOLDING SAIDTELESCOPING MEANS IN CLOSED POSITION AND A SPRING BIASED FIRING PINSLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID TELESCOPING MEANS AND BEING HELD IN A COCKEDPOSITION WHEN SAID TELESCOPING MEANS IS CLOSED, SAID CONTAINER TOCOLLAPSE WHEN SAID HANDLE IS RELEASED AND SAID TELESCOPIC MEANS ARESEPARATED TO FREE SAID PARACHUTE TO OPEN AND SAID FIRING PIN IS FREED TOINITIATE FIRING OF SAID SMOKE MARKER.